We will never give up our vote without a fight

If you are planning to vote in the November 2012 presidential elections be sure to check out Floridas new voter identification requirements. Florida is among seven states that have a new voter identification law that can prevent you from voting. The new rules require getting a passport or a state ID which is not only inconvenient for citizens but expensive for the elderly, the poor, African Americans and Hispanics from voting. Nevertheless we have to find ways not to let the Florida government decides who should vote. Presidential candidates have been known to go to great length to get your votes. Some will flip flop on the issues and tell you what you want to hear while others will tell lies and deceive you for your vote. Former President Ronald Reagan often told a story that he knew was false just to get votes. As a GOP candidate he would tell the story of a Southside Chicago woman he called the Welfare Queen. According to Reagan, she used 80 aliases, 30 addresses and 12 social security cards in order to receive over $150,000 in cash, food stamps and Medicaid. When Reagan was confronted with this inaccurate story, instead of stopping the propaganda, he continued to deceive the public with a fabricated story that helped him win the GOP nomination. There are some welfare recipients who commit fraud but the numbers are small compared with corporate fraud. The twisted sentiments of Reagan towards the poor continue among todays GOP candidates. Newt Gingrich says poor people dont work. Rick Santorum says the system takes money and gives it to Black people and Mitt Romney flat out says he doesnt care about the poor. Many of todays poor are in that predicament because they lost their jobs under GOP-supported policies. Still you will not hear GOP candidates admit that their policies contributed to the collapse of the U.S. economy putting millions of Americans out of work. President Barack Obama recently stood firm against GOP lawmakers who wanted to raise taxes on the poor and middle class workers while multi-billion corporations got hefty breaks. Now the Republicans want to make sure that the working class and poor have problems voting. With the economy showing steady signs of improvement, we must be prepared to vote for candidates that represent the best interest of ordinary Americans. We must educate ourselves about changes in voter laws here in Florida that seem intended to prevent minorities and the poor from voting. We must be prepared for the battles that lie ahead. Queen Brown is a freelance writer, a motivational speaker and a trained crime victims advocate.By Queen BrownQueenb2020@bellsouth.net